Hunter Lawrence survives chaos to seize historic 450 crown

A one point brother versus brother showdown ended in drama as Hunter Lawrence fought through Ironman crashes and pressure to claim his first AMA Pro Motocross title, while Cole Davies took out the 250SMX class and Charli Cannon finished 2nd in WMX

The Pro Motocross Championship reached a historic finish at Ironman Raceway, where three champions were crowned on the final day for the first time. Perfect weather and the biggest crowd in the event’s 13 year history set the stage for the U.S. Army Ironman National Finals Presented by Tucker Freight Lines, the 28th and final round of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship regular season.

The day’s defining story belonged to Honda HRC Progressive teammates and siblings Hunter Lawrence [#96] and Jett Lawrence [#1], who arrived split by only one point. After a chaotic afternoon in the 450SMX Class, Hunter battled through adversity to secure his first premier class title and the Edison Dye Cup.

Hunter showed his speed early in qualifying, where Jorge Prado [#26] topped both sessions for the first time. His 2:07.134 from the opening session stood as the fastest lap overall, just one tenth ahead of Hunter Lawrence’s 2:07.253, while Jett Lawrence placed third with a 2:07.915.

The first moto exploded into drama almost immediately. Hunter took the holeshot with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan [#38] alongside him, but Deegan surged into the lead and then crashed directly in front of Hunter. With nowhere to go, Hunter hit him and the two bikes locked together. Both riders were forced to restart from the tail end of the field.

Jett’s own race had already gone wrong after a poor start left him outside the top 20. He moved past Hunter while his brother was still down and began working through the pack. At the front, Prado seized control after making his way around Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire [#24] and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb [#2].

Hunter dug in and charged from 39th up to 20th with 20 minutes still remaining. Jett was only a few spots ahead in 15th, and the brothers soon found themselves running side by side in 14th and 15th near the halfway point. While they fought in the pack, Prado kept stretching away from Hampshire, Triumph Factory Racing’s Mikkel Haarup moving into third. Hunter eventually got by Jett and continued his push forward.

Prado was never threatened and took the first moto win of his U.S. career by 11.5 seconds over Hampshire. Webb grabbed third after Haarup made a mistake in the final turn, with Haarup fourth and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger [#7] fifth. Hunter’s recovery brought him all the way back to eighth, while Jett could only manage 11th.

That comeback changed everything in the championship. Instead of trailing by one point, Hunter carried a four point lead over Jett into the final moto of the season.

The last moto began with Prado charging to the front again, this time leading Hunter and Jett out of the gate. Deegan soon passed Jett for third, while Prado opened a small margin over Hunter. Jett stayed close in fourth and kept the leaders in sight.

Hunter then had another scare while running second, losing traction and stepping sideways, but he somehow stayed upright. Deegan slipped through into second, leaving Hunter third with Jett right behind. By the halfway mark, Prado’s lead had grown to more than eight seconds. Behind him, the Lawrence brothers exchanged positions after Hunter went down and briefly lost the spot to Jett before remounting quickly.

In the closing stages, Hunter repeatedly pressured Jett for third. Jett answered each attack and held him off, but Hunter did not need the pass to clinch the championship and managed his race accordingly.

Out front, Prado completed a commanding sweep. He stretched his lead to more than 15 seconds before easing slightly on the last lap and winning by 6.6 seconds over Deegan. Jett finished third and Hunter crossed the line in fourth.

That was enough for Hunter to seal the title. His 8-4 scores placed him fourth overall and gave him the championship by two points over Jett, who ended the day sixth overall with 11-3 finishes. After arriving at Ironman having won every moto and every overall up to that point, it was the first time neither Lawrence brother finished on the podium.

Prado’s perfect 1-1 performance delivered his first U.S. victory in his 22nd start and capped a season of steady progression. Hampshire took second overall with 2-6 finishes for the second overall podium of his career, matching his runner up result at Ironman a year earlier. Webb finished third overall with 3-8 scores, returning to the overall podium for the first time since the 2023 season in what was his final full time Pro Motocross start.

The championship also made family history. Hunter and Jett became the first siblings ever to win premier class championships, and Hunter is now the 29th different 450SMX Class champion in Pro Motocross history. He will also enter the SMX World Championship postseason as the top seed.

Hunter Lawrence
“I can’t even [put it into words]. I just knew I had to finish behind Jett [in Moto 2]. Most of my work was done in the first moto. It was a tough day for the Lawrences, as you can see, a pretty uncharacteristic day. Thank you to the team, my brother, my family, everyone that supports us. We’re living the American dream and couldn’t do this anywhere else.”

1st Place – Jorge Prado
“It was a perfect day. Fastest in Qualifying and P1 in both motos. We made so much progress the past few weeks and we’re in such a good place with the bike. I’m so happy with all the hard work from the team. This is why I came here to the United States, to win.”

2nd Place – RJ Hampshire
“This is awesome [to be on the podium]. Just a solid day. I didn’t do anything special. I got decent starts and made it happen. Huge thanks to the team at Rockstar Energy Husqvarna, what a way to go out.”

3rd Place – Cooper Webb
“This is a dream ending to a racing career at my last ever National. I got called up to Team USA earlier this week and ended a Cinderella weekend on the podium. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. This feels like a win. What a dream come true to be up here one last time.”